A Journey to West Kameng District

It is here that the beautiful mountains have witnessed the most humiliating military debacle inflicted on modern India; the drive is redolent with the valiant deeds of long fallen heroes, now enshrined in the many memorials big and small.  Do spend a silent moment at these memorials and honour those who made the supreme sacrifice in the discharge of their duty. 

Arunachal Pradesh is the state formed from the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (then commonly referred to as NEFA) and a drive through West Kameng is quite representative of the lives these hardy people of the mountains live.  An inner line permit is required to ener the state, this is best got at Delhi or Guwahati.  Our drive followed the popular route Tezpur – Bhalukpong (the state border) – Tenga – Bomdila – Se La – Jung – Tawang – Bum La and back the same way.  A journey we performed in an easy 10 days, staying for 2 – 3 days at places en route.

The entire journey can be done by bus, but if you do hire a vehicle ensure its mechanical soundness as also the condition of its tyres and tubes; mechanics are few and far in between at the higher reaches, whereas the roads (where you can call them roads) are very rough indeed. We had eight punctures during our drive. Being so far East the sun sets very early so allow for adequate time to get to your destination before dark.  Also be sure of the places you are going to stay in as most of the smaller places have very rudimentary accommodation if at all. A little home work will pay very rich dividends at the tired end of a hard day. Eating places (fooding and lodging being the popular phrase) normally take an hour or more to prepare a meal, so carry food for the day to save time.  At night when eating at a restaurant in any of the small towns, order first then walk around the bazaar.

The journey is a wonderful kaleidoscope of green in all its shades and hues; there are few places in our country where you see so much continuous jungle. Our journey began at Tezpur and up to Bhalukpong, flat riverine plains of Assam with large wetlands, rice fields and different types of palms flashing past our windscreen. The deployment of the Army in ‘road opening’ along the way is harsh testimony to the troubles plaguing this beautiful land.

At Bhalukpong you flash your inner line permit and enter first the hills then mountains of West Kameng. It is about here that your mobile will stop working and if you must, then buy a local SIM card. Six kilometers beyond in a tiny place appropriately called Tippi, is one of the largest orchidariums in the country, a sight to see in season.  Driving beyond, the hillsides are now clad in dense rain forest as far as eye can see. Going higher one crosses a pass which is said to be nearly permanently fogged in, visibility is low and steep valleys beckon! Small memorials by the roadside to drivers of vehicles who long ago went over the edge do little to inspire confidence. Spend the night at Bomdila which would take you 8 – 10 hours to reach.

From Bomdila there are many day drives to be done depending on time.  A visit to the new Chhillipam Gompa is truly worth the hours drive through the beautiful Rupa Valley. Recently inaugurated, the detailed craftsmanship of this Gompa is exquisite as is the pride with which one of the young monks takes you around.  Perched on a mountain, the location offers breathtaking views around.

From Bomdila head for Tawang (9500 feet), the route is lined with testimonials to the brave who fought here in 1962. For an old soldier like me, I had to simply stop at each one in a proud salute to brave men who died unsung so far from their homes in the service of the country. The prominent war memorials are located at Jaswantgarh, Nyukmadong and Tawang, these are maintained by the Army and visitors are proudly escorted around.  These memorials are mainly fashioned after the Buddhist Chorten (memorial).  There is a sound and light show at the Tawang Memorial that gives out a brief history of the war.

The scenery from Bomdila to Tawang is ever changing as is the vegetation which ranges from dense rain forest through alpine to the starkness of high altitudes. The Se La (La being pass in Tibetan derived languages) is at an altitude of 13700 feet, It was snow clad on our outward journey. There is a delightfully pretty Tso (mountain lake) just across Se La.  Approaching Tawang one comes to Jung in a valley through which flows the Tawang Chu (river).  Do ask around and find your way off the beaten track to the beautiful Jung Falls (also called Nuranang Falls); this is the site of the Jhong Hydel Project.  These multiple falls have a drop of more than 150 feet into a crystal clear pool below before draining out into the Tawang Chu.

Perched on a hill side, the Tawang monastery (Gaden Namgyal Lhatse Monastery) is reputed to be the second largest in Asia, second only to the Potala palace in Lhasa. This is a major learning centre with about 500 monks, a library and museum.  Due to the recent visit of His Holiness the Dalai Llama, the entire place had been spruced up and was well sign posted.  We were shown around by a very pleasant young monk who had a remarkable breadth of knowledge not only about the monastery and his religion but other subjects as well. One should plan on half a day to visit this serene but awe inspiring place of worship.

Take a day out to go up to Bum La on the border with China, here at the Army post at 15300 feet put a stone on the rock pile of friendship, look across into China and enjoy the spectacular rugged terrain. As you would not be  acclimatised to not exert or spend to long here. The journey is through stark high altitude landscape clad with very colorful moss and shrubs punctuated by very scenic Tso’s in some of the valleys.

This journey into the mountains is a true communion with relatively untouched beauty and the long forgotten heroism of our fallen brethren. Do it slowly, smell the roses along the way, savour and absorb the beauty, the fresh air and the unhurried local ambience.